Reamde by Neal Stephenson

Reamde  / Neal Stephenson.  William Morrow Press, 2011. (1056 p.)

CALL #   PS3569.T445 R43 2011

It’s been close to a decade since I’ve read a Neal Stephenson novel, so when I picked up Reamde I expected something tech-heavy, gritty, and decidedly cerebral. What I found was still recognizable as a Stephenson novel – it’s smart and moves between the virtual and ‘real’ worlds much like Snow Crash—but with characters complex and interesting enough to engage the reader for just over a thousand pages. The fast paced narrative winds together an uber-wealthy video game designer (and former drug mule), teenage Chinese hackers, an M16 operative, a Welsh-born Muslim-convert terrorist, and, among others, an East African refugee adopted by a gun-loving anti-government family in Idaho. Where many writers of stories as long as this one get mired in detail, Stephenson’s newest novel is engaging enough that I lugged it around with me rather than forego the chance to read a few extra pages here and there. The ability to make such a madcap adventure nearly credible is the mark of a master author.